/ Image courtesy of Henry Garden @videogarden_

I headed to Somerville last Saturday for Park National’s show at Warehouse XI, celebrating the release of his new album You Have to Keep Searching. Singer-songwriter Liam Fagan has been developing the Park National project since 2020, and when I cornered him after the set to ask where the name "Park National" came from, he simply said it “appeared out of nowhere.” That spontaneity, accompanied by a kind of serendipitous joy, carried through the entire evening. The music, the venue, the openers, the visuals—all of these elements were presented as unexpected gifts, and Fagan performed with a contagious sense of gratitude and optimism. During his set, he introduced each of his three openers individually, calling them all his “favorite band” and his “favorite people.” Even the minimalist Warehouse XI, which Fagan admitted “used to suck” (he promptly apologized and clarified that “it doesn’t suck anymore” and is now one of the band’s favorite spots to play in Boston), was full of warmth and energy. Audience members danced and sang along, their backs lit up by colorful, audioreactive projections from Digital Awareness. The last time I’d been to Warehouse XI, it hosted a stripped-down indie folk set with a quiet, introspective energy, so I’d come to associate the space with emo contemplation. This time, the vibe was completely different—still plenty of emo, but emo with an asterisk. Fagan and his fans were all smiles.

I was first introduced to Park National when he opened for Hannah Cole a couple months ago at Berklee’s Red Room, a tiny venue focused on showcasing music and developing up-and-coming artists. I’m a big advocate for catching openers, though I arrived late to Park National’s Red Room set—and sorely regretted it, since he quickly became one of my top artists.

I was drawn to his sound—Midwest emo meets indie rock meets alt-country, layered with an unexpected complexity in both chord progressions and lyricism. What stands out most, though, are Fagan’s vocals, which he showcased fully on Saturday. The classic Midwest emo whine isn’t always easy on the ears, but Park National elevates it: his voice has a clear, expressive timbre that complements the already poignant lyrics, along with the band’s sharp guitar work and inventive drumming. My only complaint about the Warehouse show was forgetting earplugs—but if you’re going to be overwhelmed by volume, it might as well be by something this good.

When he wasn’t gushing over the audience’s enthusiasm (he said “this means the world” at least 4 times, and repeated it on his instagram story after the concert), Fagan played a setlist complete with old hits and pieces from the new release. A couple songs were from The Big Glad, Park National’s debut 2020 album—including the encore, Faking My Own Death, where Fagan crooned, “I want to find a way to forget myself for a little bit.” Park National perfectly executes the technique of lyrics that are both extremely personal and also universal, refined even further in the May 2025 record You Have To Keep Searching that composed a large portion of the concert setlist. 

Take my personal favorite from the album, Your Mom’s House: “Can we slow down? / We're going twenty over on a residential street / We're driving past your mom's house / And it's 7 in the morning.” What reads as simple narration of a specific memory expands to be inclusive of the typical angsty adolescent experience: “I didn't think I'd feel so sorry that things ended like they did / I was just a kid… Just because I can’t love myself doesn’t mean that I can’t love you.” It’s lines like this that encapsulate the Park National project: lyrics that hit hard not just because they’re confessional, but because they reflect something shared.

I got that sense from the audience of Saturday’s show, where the small and enthusiastic crowd made the gaping industrial space feel intimate. Fagan’s excitement surrounding the positive reception of his new release was palpable. During a lull in the music, he spoke into the microphone: “It’s taking me forever to tune my guitar ‘cause I’m so excited, I’m so flustered. It really means a lot to see you. So thanks.” Between the three openers—Tiberius, Women in Peril, and Innerlove—Fagan moved through the crowd, singing and dancing along, radiating a straightforward, contagious gratitude that connected everyone in the room.

There’s a lot of optimism in Park National’s new record, which pushes past the traditional Midwest emo into something decidedly more cheerful. Not that it lacks depth—the second track, Old Wounds, proclaims, “I wanna let this kill me / 'Cause I'm not strong enough to tie a tourniquet,” but then goes on with a pledge to “fight my old beliefs and teach myself some kind of love.” Even the title of the album, You Have to Keep Searching, emphasizes the quest for good, for a success and fulfillment in a turbulent maturation as both a person and an artist. The intimate, celebratory album release was a tangible achievement; while Fagan may have to keep searching, he’s clearly on the right track.

Park National’s second record, You Have To Keep Searching, is out now on all streaming platforms. Charlotte Stokes ‘27 is a staff writer and Artist Relations Director for WHRB.